Exploring Kent's Past

It should not be assumed that this site is publicly accessible and it may be on private property. Do not trespass.

Monument details

Summary

A memorial in St John's Cemetery, Margate, to Flight Sub Lieutenant Reginald Lord RNAS who was killed on 10th August 1915 while attempting to land his plane after a sortie against a Zeppelin raid. He was one of the first British casualties resulting from attempts to combat Zeppelins. The memorial comprises a marble Latin cross set on a square, three-tiered, base surrounded by marble kerb. The inscription is set into the base in lead lettering. Memorial to Flight Sub Lieutenant Reginald Lord RNAS is a grade II listed building. For the designation record of this site please see the National List for England.

Monument Types

• COMMEMORATIVE MONUMENT (Modern - 1915 AD to 2050 AD)

Full description

If you do not understand anything on this page please contact us.

From the National Heritage List for England:
Memorial cross to Flight Sub Lieutenant Reginald Lord (died 1915).

Marble Latin cross set on a square, three-tiered, base surrounded by marble kerb. The inscription is set into the base in lead lettering, partly missing. It reads: IN LOVING MEMORY OF/ FLIGHT SUB. LIEUTENANT/ REGINALD LORD. R.N.A.S./ OF NEWCASTLE-ON-TYNE./ AGED 23./ WHO LOST HIS LIFE IN A ZEPPELIN RAID/ ON THIS COAST/ MONDAY AUGUST 10TH 1915.

St John's Cemetery, Margate, was opened on the outskirts of the town in 1856. The cemetery is a typical example of a picturesque Victorian funereal landscape, which provides the setting for many grand funerary monuments, used increasingly in the C19 as a means of asserting family affection and showing respect for the dead.

The burials in St John's Cemetery date from 1856 to the present day and illustrate many aspects of Margate's role as a health resort and holiday destination, and as a coastal community comprising all levels of society. The impact of significant cultural and social shifts and major world events over the last 150 years are also reflected in a number of the memorials in the cemetery. The original part of the cemetery was 10 acres; the site now extends to 35, and remains open for new burials.

During World War I, Flight Sub Lieutenant Reginald Lord was stationed at the Royal Naval Air Service seaplane base at Westgate. On 10 August 1915 he was killed attempting to land his plane at night after a sortie against a Zeppelin raid. The press reported that he had been at a dance with his fiancée shortly before the crash. He was buried with full military honours. Zeppelins were first used in bombing raids on Britain during January of 1915 and Reginald Lord was one of the first British casualties resulting from attempts to combat this new form of aerial warfare.

Reasons for Designation
The memorial to Flight Sub Lieutenant Reginald Lord RNAS at St John's Cemetery, Margate, is designated at Grade II for the following principal reason: * Historic interest: as a memorial to one of the first British pilots killed attempting to counter the Zeppelin menace during World War I, the first sustained aerial bombardment in history.

<1> Historic England, National Heritage List for England (Index). SKE29372.

Sources and further reading